Since the moment Kirk Cousins was benched last season, the writing seemed to be on the wall. Going forward, the Atlanta Falcons are Michael Penix Jr.'s team.
Now, it's just a question of how Cousins will exit Atlanta. Recently, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the Falcons' plans to release Cousins before his March 17 roster bonus was due. To no one's surprise, his contract makes things difficult no matter which route the Falcons take.
Another ESPN NFL insider chimed in on the matter, as Dan Graziano tried to make just a little sense of the Falcons' predicament. In his latest column, Graziano outlined some of the financial impacts of a Cousins trade or release.
Graziano noted Cousins' roster bonus being due on March 17 along with $27.5 million in salary already being guaranteed for 2025. He then explained why a trade makes the most sense, rather than a release:
"So if the Falcons trade him before March 17, the acquiring team would take on this year's $27.5 million and next year's $10 million. Atlanta would then absorb $37.5 million in dead money charges on its 2025 cap as a result of the remaining signing bonus proration on the contract."
If the Falcons were to trade Kirk Cousins, the move would come soon
Should the Falcons cut Cousins as they have already reportedly planned to do, Atlanta would take on a total of $65 million in dead money rather than the $37.5 million in the wake of a trade (before March 17).
Obviously, cutting it down considerably would be best-case scenario. However, it's going to be tough to find a team that's willing to take on Cousins' contract. Atlanta may have shown their cards already, with the report surfacing that they plan to release him.
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Not that the league didn't already have a hunch this release was coming, but it didn't help Atlanta's cause for that report to be leaked.
There is always the chance Atlanta could try packaging a pick with Cousins, or a pick swap, in order to save that extra money in a trade. But, look at what the Denver Broncos did with Russell Wilson. They cut their losses and kept draft capital, which would ultimately be the right move in Atlanta if they failed to find a trade partner.
It is not an easy situation, all around, but the Falcons are going to try their best to get a trade done. In all likelihood, he becomes a free agent and Atlanta is stuck with significant dead cap this year and next.